


The Ballad of Mona Lisa

by vellaky



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 13:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4962829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vellaky/pseuds/vellaky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby has trouble sleeping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ballad of Mona Lisa

She can’t sleep. She never has been able to after her ventures as the wolf; something about being up all night and sleeping all day until she gets back into the routine. So she sets up on her usual perch - the armchair in the corner of Regina’s side of the room - with her sketch pad and her pencil.

Regina is beautiful when she sleeps. Not that she isn’t always beautiful, but she just seems so at peace, which seems to make her even more beautiful. Ruby’s lips twitch into a smile. She knows it makes her the lucky one to be able to see these little moments when no one else can.

Honing in on her canine abilities, her eyes adjust to the darkness and she locks in on Regina’s sleeping form. Her breathing is steady and rhythmic. It breaks the silence in the room and Ruby favours having that as her background music while she draws.

Her artistic side is one she rarely taps into. Lately it’s made an appearance. Before Regina entered her life, Ruby would find solace in late night tv, or running. She’s never had someone she’s wanted to be near constantly. During the curse, and maybe a little time after, Ruby would often kick her bed companions out into the middle of the night, or be the one to leave their sleeping forms behind. It’s different with Regina. To Ruby, Regina’s presence is like an addiction, and she’s a junkie awaiting her fix. And the wolf in her needs to watch over Regina, keep her protected; perhaps this is why she finds it hard to sleep these days, especially after the full moon. The wolf has a family now. The wolf can’t be reckless. It’s that feeling that leaves her sitting in the dark, watching as Regina sleeps.

Ruby is lost in her drawing when a light flickers on, causing Ruby to jump in fright. She’s rarely ever caught out of bed. How long has she been sitting here, anyway? Ruby’s eyes adjust to the lighting of the room and she looks over to the bed where Regina is sitting herself up. Seeing a sleepy Regina makes Ruby count her lucky stars again and she smiles. “Hi,” she murmurs.

“What’re you doin’?” Regina slurs, voice still thick with sleep. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Regina rubs at her eyes and begins to move out of the bed, and Ruby drops her sketch pad to come over to Regina instead. “I wasn’t kicking you in my sleep again, was I?”

“No,” Ruby says through a smile. “Just having troubles transitioning back from wolf to human again for another three weeks.”

Fully awake now, Regina quirks an eyebrow. “So you thought you’d sit in a corner and watch me sleep?” Her lips move into a smirk. “How voyeuristic of you.”

Ruby feels her cheeks colour considerably, as she tries to think of a way to deny Regina’s claim. “I’m not…” She realises that sitting up and sketching her as she slept is probably, most definitely, venturing into voyeurism, and that realisation only makes Ruby blush harder.

“Are you going to show me your artwork?”

Ruby blinks. Somehow, she doesn’t think that was a question. She blinks again and looks down at the bedspread. Ruby’s never shown Regina her sketches. She’s not even sure Regina knew she had a sketchbook or could draw up until this point. It’s not a secret, really, but her drawings have been exactly that; hers. People have seen her drawing at some point or another - not very many have asked to see her stuff - but she typically shows anyone who does. After all, she knows she can draw; she doesn’t need anyone’s approval to tell her that. Yet, something about showing Regina her work, especially when it’s of her, has Ruby’s blush spreading over her cheeks, down her neck and onto her chest, suddenly shy. She looks back up to see Regina wearing a soft, encouraging smile and that’s Ruby’s undoing. She rolls her eyes at herself as she gets up off the bed to retrieve her book. When she comes back, Regina is sitting up completely, back propped on the pillows against the headboard and she’s patting the space between her legs for Ruby lay between.

Once settled, Ruby holds the book open to her latest piece, going back over the drawing herself. She smiles. Regina really is beautiful. She feels Regina’s breath hitch against her back.

“Ruby…” she breathes, running her hand over the page. “This is… amazing.”

She feels a warmth spread over her body at Regina’s approval, and she simultaneously wants the bed to open up and swallow her whole. “Thanks,” she mumbles.

Regina begins turning the page back to the previous drawing, and Ruby feels her heart sink low into her stomach as Regina continues to turn the pages back again, and again, and again. “I’m beginning to sense a theme, here, dear.” There’s a gentle finger on her chin, as her face is maneuvered so she’s looking at Regina. “Tell me again how you’re not into voyeurism at _all_ …”

Ruby nudges her and slams the book closed. “Shut up!”

Regina snatches the book out of Ruby’s hands and opens it back up again. “We all have our things,” she tries to placate, though Ruby can feel her body hiccuping with silent laughter.

“It’s not _my_ thing,” Ruby argues. Though looking at her pictures again as Regina flicks through the book does nothing to help her claim.

Regina hums. She’s stopped on a page of her napping on the couch. Ruby remembers that day. It was the first time Ruby had been invited back to Regina’s place for the night. They had stayed up into the very early hours of the morning making love. It was the first time Ruby realised she needed Regina’s presence. And she stayed. She stayed the night. She stayed for breakfast. She stayed when Regina fell asleep on the couch. “I don't remember instilling you with the ability to draw,” Regina’s voice breaks into her reverie.

Ruby rolls her eyes and smacks Regina’s leg lightly. “Some of us didn’t need your curse to give us talent. Some of us are naturally gifted.”

“Yes. I can see that. I’m a little disturbed, if not pleasantly surprised.”

“It helps me to sleep,” Ruby tries to explain, even though she wasn’t asked. “I don’t want to wake you. And… and I don’t want to just leave you to go for a run. So I draw. It relaxes me.” She turns a little so she can look at Regina. She smiles, bringing a hand up to trace a line from her temple down to her jaw with her index finger. “And the subject is aesthetically pleasing.”

Regina leans forward and kisses Ruby on the lips. “Well, I’m glad I please you. Aesthetically.”

“You please me in other ways, too,” Ruby murmurs, pressing a kiss to Regina’s lips this time.

“Now that, I’m definitely happy to hear.” Ruby chuckles, but it turns into a yawn which she tries to smother. Regina brings a hand up to cup Ruby’s cheek. “It seems your goal has been met, dear. You should sleep.”

“Hmm, but now you’re awake.”

“I won’t be too far behind.”

“Y’know…” Ruby begins with a smirk. “I’m not that tired. Maybe we could… help each other out?”

“I like the way you think,” Regina murmurs before closing the distance between them with another kiss. “And maybe after,” she says against Ruby’s lips when she pulls back, “I might let you draw me again for a… _private_ collection.”


End file.
